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I-85 work not done until fall

By BEN NELMS
bnelms@theCitizenNews.com

Anyone traveling southbound on I-85 south of I-285 on weekends has seen the road construction and probably got stuck in it. Those sticky times will not end until fall.

What began in summer 2004 as a project to reconstruct I-85’s two outside lanes and patch the expressway’s two inside lanes along the northbound and southbound sides of I-85 is expected to be completed by fall, according to Georgia Dept. of Transportation (DOT) representative Karlene Barron.

The project covers the seven-mile stretch of I-85 from I-285 to Ga. Highway 74.

As for current construction, the two outside lanes of I-85 will be closed just south of I-285 and continuing on to Flat Shoals Road beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, March 11. Those lanes will remain closed through 5 a.m. Monday, March 14, Barron said.

Work in the same location will force the closure of the two outside lanes during some weekday nights, likely beginning around 9 p.m. and ending the following morning at 5 a.m..

Once completed, the two outside lanes north and southbound will have been rebuilt with needed patchwork completed on the inside lanes. Except for minor work on the northbound side, the majority of work has been on the southbound lanes.

Since the project’s inception, the work has been performed primarily on weekends and some weekday nights, Barron said.

Just a bit further north on I-285, traffic on I-285 eastbound will be shifted to the permanent alignment by Monday, March 14 at 5 p.m. as part of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s fifth runway construction project.

In addition to the lane shift, the entrance ramp from Ga. Highway 139 (Riverdale Road) to I-285 eastbound and the exit ramp from I-285 eastbound to Clark Howell Highway will be closed and traffic will be detoured while this work is in progress. The ramps will close on Wednesday night at 9 p.m.

  The actual traffic shift on I-285 will begin on Friday at 9 p.m. All lanes on I-285 will remain open until the shift begins Friday night and at least two lanes on the mainline will remain open throughout the weekend.

All lanes should be shifted and both ramps should be open by 5 a.m. on Monday, barring any weather-related delays.

The ramp detour route will be Hwy. 139 to Sullivan Road to Clark Howell Highway and back to I-285. The detour is only for traffic wishing to access I-285 eastbound from Hwy. 139 and for traffic wishing to exit from I-285 eastbound to Clark Howell Highway. 

“One segment of the bridge that will house the runway and taxiway over I-285 is ready for traffic to run under it,” said GDOT District Construction Engineer Mickey McGee. “I realize that the ramp closures will be inconvenient to motorists but it is absolutely necessary so that we can get the grades to match the new segment of roadway.”

Information on DOT projects can be obtained at www.georgia-navigator.com.